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Merabishvili may be investigated

Vano Merabishvili was interior minister for eight years. Now he may face prosecution for secretly allowing two ministry tops carry on in their positions even though he had fired them. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — The interior ministry in Georgia has asked the prosecutors to investigate former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.

Ministry spokesperson Nino Giorgobiani Saturday morning explained at a press conference that the material submitted to the prosecutor’s office concerns the period between 2006 and 2008, and is supposed to show that the ex-minister abused his powers.

Merabishvili, who was minister for about eight years, March 13, 2006, issued a decree to temporarily fire Data Akhalaia, former Director of the Constitutional Security Department, and Vasil Sanodze, Chair of the General Inspection.

At the time, there was an investigation of the suspicious death of a bank employee called Sandro Girgvliani, who was killed late at night by representatives of the Interior Ministry following a quarrel at a café in Tbilisi.

There was an assumption in society that those two would interrupt the investigation if they continued in their positions.

But according to Giorgobiani, the ministry has revealed the Merabishvili’s decree was just for show to satisfy demands from the population, and that the two in fact continued working.

“In fact, Akhalaia and Sanodze for two years fully without interruption chaired those departments. They had access to state secret material and documents. They planned and chaired operative investigative and other special measures.”

In 2008, the former Interior Minister issued another decree to bring Data Akhalaia and Vasil Sanodze back to their positions, and this indicates a violation of the criminal code, specifically abuse of powers. The Interior Ministry has forwarded the findings to the prosecutor’s office for investigation.